Popcorn machine



S. M. WAAS POPCORN MACHINE May 29, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 10,1948 g... (In 2 J Patented May 29, 1951 POPCORN MACHINE Samuel M. Waas,Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Manley, Inc., Kansas City, Mo., acorporation of Missouri Application July 10, 1948, Serial No. 38,129

2 Claims.

This invention relates to popcorn machines and more particularly to adevice of that character having apparatus for storing, warming anddelivering a suitable seasoning medium for popcorn popped in themachine, the principal objects of the invention being to provide formaintenance of a supply of seasoning oil at suitable temperatures tokeep said oil liquid and delivering measured quantities of said oil to apopcorn cooking device.

In corn popping apparatus particularly such apparatus as is used intheatres and other public places in the vending of popcorn, the corn isusually seasoned with an oil or cooked in the presence of an oil such ascocoanut or a paraflin base oil, and at normal atmospheric temperaturesthe seasoning oil has a tendency to solidify. Since pots, kettles andsimilar containers are ordinarily employed for storing the seasoning oiland pouring it over the popped corn or into the kettle, solidificationof the oil often occurs in and about the containers to their detrimentin appearance and functional characteristics. It has also heretoforebeen the practice to lodge containers of popcorn seasoning oil in and/orabout cooking display or temporary storage devices such as compartmentsfor popped popcorn, the result of which frequently occasions suchinconveniences as loss of the oil by accidently turning over the oilcontainer and loss of sales of the popcorn by reason of the unpleasantappearance of solidified oil drippings about the oil container andpopcorn display compartment, as well as other disadvantages.

Other objects of the present invention are, therefore, to obviate thenoted inconveniences and disadvantages encountered in popcorn machinesheretofore available; to provide for housing popcorn seasoning oilcontainers in convenient concealable relation to popcorn treating anddisplay devices and in the same popcorn machine; to provide for heatingthe oil to liquefy the same when desired for popcorn seasoning purposes;to provide a seasoning oil delivery apparatus in which the oil issubjected to heat to maintain said oil in a liquid condition throughoutthe apparatus; to provide a seasoning oil storage with a pump subjectedto heated oil and capable of accurately metering the oil dispensedthereby; to provide a seasoning oil apparatus for confining said oil andconducting same in a sanitary closed system to the cooking kettle; toprovide a convenient relatively economical and highly efficientseasoning oil handling apparatus which is neat in appearance andeliminates unsightly grease conditions in a corn popping machine; and toprovide improved elements and arrangements of them in popcorn machinesof this character.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, Ihave provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of whichis illustrated in the accompanying drawings; wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a popcorn machine embodying the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the seasoning oil container andassociated handling apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the seasoning oilcontainer on the line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through a corner of the popcorn machine onthe line 44, Fig. 1, particularly illustrating the position of theseasoning oil duct therein.

Referring more] in detail to the drawings:

I generally designates a popcorn machine in whichthe present inventionmay be conveniently embodied, the machine preferably includingvertically arranged structural members 2, 3, 4 and 5 provided with asuitable primary support (not shown) at their lower ends and with asuitable hood 6 at and interconnecting their upper ends from whichdepends a suitable popcorn cooking element 1, such as the kettle shown.Suitable horizontally arranged structural members and panels bracinglyinterconnect the vertical structural members between their ends andprovide respective supports for the hood 6, display compartment floor 8,drawer and storage compartments 9 and a seasoning well 10. Suitabletransparent display panels Il may be provided between the side and rearframe forming vertical structural members above the display compartmentfloor 8, and suitable panel-filled door frames [2 may be hinged to thefront forming structural members to provide closure of and access to adisplay compartment l3 formed thereby. The

cooking kettle 1 preferably is hingedly supported as at H on brackets I5depending from the hood 6, said kettle having an agitator carried by ashaft I6 rotatably mounted in the lid ll of the kettle, said shaft beingrotated by means of a motor (not shown).

l8 designates a floor member for the seasoning well In which issupplemented by side walls I9 and 20, a top wall 2|, and a rear wall(not shown) to form the well ID, the well as a whole being suitablysupported by the structural members in the lower portion of the machine.The well [0 preferably has an open front and is arranged below thedisplay compartment l3 and to one side of the floor 8 thereof, as shownin Fig. 1. Electric heating elements 22 are mounted on the floor memberIS, in spaced relation thereto, by means of suitable supports 23, saidheating elements being supplied with energy by a conductor 24 adapted tobe connected in the electric circuit of the popcorn machine and con- 3trolled from a switch panel mounted on the front of the hood as shown inFig. 1

A seasoning oil container 26 is slidably mounted in the well I0, saidcontainer preferably consisting of a bottom 21, side walls 28 and 29 andfront and rear walls 30 and 3|, all preferably cast integral and soarranged that the bottom wall 27 is spaced above the lower edge 32 ofthe front and side walls. Thev bottom 21 slopes downwardly from thewalls of the container to provide drainage of the contents thereof intoa sump 2'! of suitable size and arrangement. to cooperate with a pump inpermitting removal of substantially all of the seasoning oil from saidcontainer. The rear wall also terminates at its lower end at the bottomwall whereby the container 26 may be slid into the well [D and the loweredge of the rear wall and the bottom will pass over the heating elements22 and said heating elements will be between the floor l 8 and thebottom 21, to provide heat for the container to maintain the oil thereinin liquid condition. The side, front and rear walls of the container areshorter in height than the well It] to provide a space 33 above thecontainer to accommodate portions of the apparatus as later described.

The container preferably has a cover 34 resting on the upper edges ofthe side walls and suitably secured thereto as by bolts 35 havingportions extending through apertures 36 in said side walls and threadedshanks 31 extending through apertures 38 in said cover, wing nuts 39being threaded on the shanks 31 to clamp the cover 34 on said container.The cover preferably has an opening 40 providing access to the containerfor refilling with seasoning oil as desired. The opening 46 is adaptedto be closed by a door 4| to completely enclose the seasoning oil duringuse.

Mounted on the cover 34 and depending into the container in alignmentwith the sump 21 is a pump 42 preferably consisting of a cylinder 43having its upper end welded or otherwise suitably secured to a bracket44 having flanges 45 adapted to engage the bottom surface of the cover34, said flanges and cover having aligning apertures 46 and 41 forreceiving suitable fastening devices 48, such as bolts and nuts, forsecuring the bracket 44 to the cover plate. The lower end of thecylinder 43 extends into the sump 21 in spaced relation to the bottomthereof and mounted on the lower end of said cylinder is a head 49closing thelower end of said cylinder. Said head has an aperture 50slidably mounting a shank 5| carrying a spring-type valve 52 thereon andarranged in the cylinder in such a manner as to control the opening of aport 53 in response to a variation of pressure in the cylinder, saidvalve shank having a stop 54 on the lower end to limit the upwardmovement thereof. The sump 21' is slightly larger than the head topermit free flow of seasoning oil into the sump, and said head is soarranged relatively to the bottom of the sump to provide clearance foroperation of the valve shank. However, the spring between the head andbottom of the sump is small whereby substantially all of the seasoningoil may be removed from the container by the pump. Reciprocable in thecylinder is a piston 55 consisting of a resilient expandable member 56such as rubber or other suitable material held between plates 51 and 58and secured by a screw 59 to the lower end of a piston rod 60 which isslidably mounted in a bushing 6| carried in a boss 62 depending from thecover 34 and arranged coaxially with the cylinder 43. The upper portionof the rod 69 has teeth 63 therein to form a rack adapted to mesh withthe teeth of a pinion 64 keyed to a shaft 65 rotatably mounted in spacedears 66 and 67 extending upwardly from the cover 34 and arranged onopposite sides of the pinion to provide support therefor. The shaft 65projects forwardly of the container and mounts a crank 68 in a positionfor convenient operation whereby rotation of the crank will move thepiston 55 in the, cylinder 43,. A stop 69 is preferably arranged on therod 68 in such a manner as to limit downward movement of the pistons andthe lower end of the bushing 6| is positioned adjacent the upper end ofthe cylinder 43 whereby the engagement of the piston with the end of thebushing 6| limits the upward movement of the piston. The selectivearrangement of the stop 69 in the vertically spaced headed bores 10 inthe rod 69 varies the length of stroke of the piston before engagementof the stop with the upper surface of the cover limits the downwardmovement of the piston, thereby controlling the displacement of oil fromsaid cylinder to vary the amount of the seasoning delivered by the pump.

The head 49 is provided with a laterally extending boss having avertically arranged threaded bore H therein terminating in a seat 72adapted to be engaged by a ball valve 13 to close a port 14 leading to alateral passage l5 communicating with the interior of the cylinder 43.Threaded into the threaded bore H is a tube 13 extending upwardlythrough an aperture H in the cover 34, the upper end of said tube beingconnected by suitable fittings 18 with a tube 19 which extends toward arear corner of the machine and is turned upwardly as at 89 to form avertical portion 8| which is arranged adjacent the structural angle 4forming a portion of the frame of the display compartment. the hood 6and is turned as at 82 to form a horizontal portion 83 which extendsover the central portion of the kettle I. The end of the tube ispreferably connected by a suitable fitting 84 with flexible tubing 85,the lower end 86 of which is connected by a suitable fitting providingcommunication with the interior of the kettle, the flexible tubingmaintaining communication with said kettle during pivotal movementthereof.

A heater wire 81 enclosed in a suitable sheath is wrapped around thetube 19 substantially for the full length thereof, said tube and wirebeing enclosed with a suitable heat insulating material 88, the ends ofwhich are clamped to the tube as at 89, the heater wire being connectedto the electrical switch 99 for energizing the heater to liquefy the oilin the tube 19, it being necessary to so energize the heater wire onlymomentarily at such times when there has been a substantial lapse oftime between the last popping of corn and desired movement of oilthrough the tube.

In order to enhance the appearance of the machine and to enclose theportion of the tube extending upwardly adjacent the structural member 4,a trim strip 9 preferably extends upwardly inside of the displaycompartment adjacent the corner structural members, and the side edgesof said strip are bent as at 92 to form angleshaped seats adapted toengage the ends of the panels II as shown in Fig. 4. This arrangementalso encloses a passage through the display compartment foraccommodating the tube 19.

The tube extends upwardly into' The operation of a popcorn machineconstructed as described is as follows:

The container 26 is slid into the well and the fitting 18 connected tothe end of the tube 19. The door 4| is removed and a suitable quantityof seasoning medium placed in the container. The stop 69 is adjusted onthe rod 60 whereby downward movement of the piston 55 will dis-- placethe desired amount of seasoning oil. When it is desired to pop corn, asuitable switch on the switch panel is operated to electrically connectthe heating elements 22 into the service line circuit to energize saidheating elements and apply heat to the bottom of the container. After ashort interval the seasoning oil will be in liquid condition and theheat applied thereto may be reduced as by a thermostat or other suitablecontrol to maintain the seasoning oil at desired temperatures. Asuitable switch is actuated to bring into the electrical circuit theheat-elements in the kettle to apply the desired heat thereto. Corn maythen be applied to the kettle and by turning the crank 68 the shaft 65will be rotated to rotate the pinion 64 and move the rod 60 and piston55 upwardly in the cylinder 43. Upward movement of the piston willeffect seating of the valve 12 and upward movement of the valve '52 toopen the port 53 and draw seasoning oil into the cylinder 43. The crank68 is turned until the piston engages the lower end of the bushing 6 I.The crank 68 is then turned in the opposite direction to move the pistonand the rod downwardly in the cylinder, effecting seating of the valve52 to close the port 53 and lifting of the valve 12 to open the port 13whereby the seasoning oil in the cylinder 43 is discharged through thetube [1, tube 19 and flexible tube 85 to the kettle 1, movement of thecrank continuing until the stop 69 engages the top of the cover 34whereby the desired amount of seasoning oil is delivered to thekettle 1. If some interval has elapsed since the last corn was popped,the oil contained in the tube 19 may have congealed or solidified. Insuch case the pushbutton switch 90 is operated to energize the heatingwire 81 to apply momentary heat to the tube 19 to melt the oil containedtherein prior to the operation of the pump. After the kettle of corn hasbeen popped it is dumped into the display compartment by tilting of thekettle 1. The kettle is then ready for another batch of popcorn whichmay be placed in the kettle and the crank 68 again operated to deliver ameasured quantity of oil to the kettle for the cooking of corn therein.

It is apparent, therefore, that a popcorn machine has been provided bythe present invention in which the seasoning oil is concealed andenclosed to maintain same in a sanitary condition and to enhance thegeneral appearance of the popcorn machine by eliminating solidified oildrippings from the display compartment of the machine.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a popcorn machine having a cabinet including a display compartmentand a covered cooking kettle pivotally mounted in the displaycompartment for tilting to empty the kettle, said covered kettle havinga portion which opens for access to the kettle for filling and emptyingthe kettle, a container in the cabinet below the display compartment andadapted for containing a supply of seasoning oil, a cover mounted on thecontainer for closing same, an electric heater under and substantiallycontacting the container for applying heat thereto for maintaining theoil in liquid condition, a cylinder in the container and having one endfixed to the cover and the other end immersed in the oil, a head on theimmersed end of the cylinder and having an inlet and outlet, checkvalves in said inlet and outlet to prevent backflow therethrough, apiston slidable in the cylinder, a piston rod fixed to the piston andextending through the container cover, means mounted on the cover andengaging the piston rod for effecting reciprocation of the rod andpiston for moving seasoning oil through the inlet and outlet, a tubehaving one end communicating with the cylinder outlet and the other endcommunicating with the interior of the kettle for delivering seasoningoil therein in response to reciprocation of the piston in the cylinder,and an insulated heating element around substantially the length of thetube for applying heat thereto for melting solidified oil therein, andmeans for selectively energizing said heating element.

2. In a popcorn machine having a cabinet including a display compartmentand a covered cooking kettle pivotally mounted in the displaycompartment for tilting to empty the kettle, said covered kettle havinga portion which opens for access to the kettle for filling and emptyingthe kettle, a container in the cabinet below the display compartment andadapted for containing a supply of seasoning oil, a cover mounted on thecontainer for closing same, an electric heater under and substantiallycontacting the container for applying heat thereto for maintaining theoil in liquid condition, a cylinder in the container and having one endfixed to the container cover and the other end immersed in the oil, ahead on the immersed end of the cylinder and having an inlet and outlet,check valves in said inlet and outlet to prevent backfiow therethrough,a piston slidable in the cylinder, a piston rod fixed to the piston andextending through the container cover, means mounted on the containercover and engaging the piston rod for effecting reciprocation of the rodand piston for moving seasoning oil through the inlet and outlet, stopmeans for limiting the movement of the piston rod, a tube having one endcommunicating with the cylinder outlet and extending from the containerto a point above the cooking kettle, an insulated heating element aroundsubstantially the length of the tube for applying heat thereto formelting solidified oil therein, means for selectively energizing saidheating element, and a flexible duct having communication with the endof the tube and the interior of the kettle for delivering seasoning oiltherein in response to reciprocation of the piston in the cylinder.

SAMUEL M. WAAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,422,768 Kent July 11, 19221,823,653 Hast Sept. 15, 1931 2,134,088 Obdyke Oct. 25, 1938 2,288,248Long June 30, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 3,153 Sweden Oct.29, 1891

